Albion exit League Cup at Walsall

BRIGHTON & Hove Albion suffered their first defeat of the season last night when they exited the Capital One Cup, 2-1 at division-lower Walsall.

Albion made ten changes to their starting line-up but took the lead through a Jake Forster-Caskey penalty. Walsall levelled through Milan Lalkovic, before Albion’s Chris O’Grady fired another spot-kick over the bar.

Rico Henry then hit the winner for Walsall four minutes from time.

A minute’s silence in memory of the Shoreham Airshow crash victims took place before the game.

In an end-to-end first half, Brighton went ahead on 39 minutes. Forster-Caskey was brought down by Jason Demetriou and then stepped up to send Walsall keeper Neil Etheridge the wrong way from the spot.

Slovakian under-21 international Lalkovic smashed home the equaliser from the edge of the area on 65 minutes.

O’Grady then blazed over from the spot and Henry grabbed the winner for the hosts in the closing stages.

Brighton boss Chris Hughton, speaking to www.seagulls.co.uk, said: “I felt we had some really good periods in the game. I can’t really remember a game where we’ve had so much possession breaking into their final third and we counter-attacked very well.

“They looked dangerous on the counter-attack in the first half and they’re a team in very good form, but we had ample opportunities and got into some great areas.

“Solly March got to the byline on four or five occasions, but if we’re not able to get those second goals then it’s always going to put pressure on ourselves.

“That’s what happened and any mistake you might make gives the opposition an opportunity to capitalise on it and that’s what they did.”

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.